(NEWSnet/AP) — EA Sports College Football 25, among the most highly anticipated sports video games, has hit the market.

Sports-gaming enthusiasts have waited for more than a decade for the series’ return.

The game officially launched Friday, with EA Sports increasing server capacity to handle the crush.

"To say we’ve been blown away by the excitement, energy and anticipation around College Football 25 over the past few months would be an understatement," EA Sports said in a blog post. “Our team has had July 19 circled for months as the culmination of so much work and dedication to build this game, and the chance to see it in players’ hands for the first time.”

EA Sports has said its goal for the game is “to feel like a love letter to college football and its fans.”

For several years, EA Sports' college football games were released annually. The company froze editions in 2013 when athletes began to question why they weren't getting paid to be featured in the games.

With athlete compensation rights determined in court and nallowed by NCAA, EA Sports announced in 2021 it would revive the franchise.

The video-game developer offered Bowl Subdivision players a minimum of $600 and a copy of the game to have their likeness included. More than 11,000 players accepted offers.

Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, among the game’s featured cover athletes, said in May some of the best moments of his childhood involved playing EA Sports college football with his best friend.

“Just for it to be back, as well as to be on the cover of it, it’s an awesome feeling,” he said.

EA Sports' college football franchise dates to the 1990s. It grew in popularity in the early 2000s, as gaming systems became more advanced.

Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.

Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.